Elmwood theater repairs still in planning stage

With several obstacles cleared, and many more to go, the owner of the tornado-damaged Palace Theater in downtown Elmwood finally feels good about his chances of rebuilding the historic theater.

"Ask me two weeks ago and I'm not so sure," said Vern Reynolds, the theater's owner. "Right now, I'm the most optimistic I've been since the tornado."

The June 5 tornado that tore out the roof and a wall of the Palace on Main Street damaged 40 other buildings in the downtown area, 33 of which were deemed to be structurally unsafe. Buildings on two corners of Main and Magnolia streets have since been demolished and the rest are in varying states of repair.

Scott Hilyard

With several obstacles cleared, and many more to go, the owner of the tornado-damaged Palace Theater in downtown Elmwood finally feels good about his chances of rebuilding the historic theater.

"Ask me two weeks ago and I'm not so sure," said Vern Reynolds, the theater's owner. "Right now, I'm the most optimistic I've been since the tornado."

The June 5 tornado that tore out the roof and a wall of the Palace on Main Street damaged 40 other buildings in the downtown area, 33 of which were deemed to be structurally unsafe. Buildings on two corners of Main and Magnolia streets have since been demolished and the rest are in varying states of repair.

Reynolds hasn't gotten started. He's looking for ways to close a six-figure funding gap between his insurance company's payout and the cost to rebuild his 100-year-old brick building to look the way it looked before the tornado. The way the residents of the city liked it. Damage was estimated at about $450,000, but the cost to return it to the way it was, only brand new, is more like $1.2 million. He received less than $300,000 in an insurance settlement.

"The cheapest route would be to tear the building down. But, the residents of the city want the theater back, the city government wants the theater back, everybody wants the theater back the way it was," Reynolds said. "It's one of the businesses that brings in Elmwood residents, but it also brings in people from outside the city."

Even though Reynolds still is waiting to look at his first set of blueprints that might not be delivered until mid-September, he recently cleared a huge hurdle. The compliance officer of the state's Capital Development Board toured the palace this month and determined that Reynold's would not have to make changes to the restrooms that were not damaged by the tornado. Major renovations to the restroom area of the 100-year-old building to make the space compliant with the American with Disabilities Act could have been a deal-breaker.

"That was a real milestone for him," said Dick Taylor, the man the city hired to oversee the construction and demolition of downtown Elmwood. "He had no room in the building to expand those restrooms."

Reynolds, and lots of other downtown property owners, have high hopes for a million dollar grant proposal through the state Department of Commerce and Economic Development. The city should learn next month if the grant proposal is approved. The money would be split among eligible property owners.

Reynolds also is exploring some fundraising ideas to help him bridge the gap. A group has formed, Save the Palace (savethepalace.com, 742-8586) and has raised about $8,000. Money can be donated to a fund set up at the Community Bank at P.0. Box 717, Elmwood, IL 61529. People also can donate $100 to have their name etched into a brick that will be used in the reconstruction of the theater, or $150 to have a name on a plaque of the seating plan of the theater that will hang in the lobby.

"People come by and ask why I'm not rebuilding yet," Reynolds said. "Well, it all starts with the blueprints and we're still waiting for the plans. Plus, the grant comes with stipulations and you don't want to start any construction now that the grant might not help pay for. It all adds to the waiting game and the misery of it all. Right now we're just sitting tight."

Scott Hilyard can be reached at 686-3244 or at shilyard@pjstar.com.

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